Logan Paul in transphobia controversy after calling female boxer fight 'purest form of evil'

Logan Paul has landed himself in controversy and been accused of transphobia and misinformation for the comments he made about 2024 Paris Olympics boxer Imane Khelif.

The Algerian boxer faced Italy's Angela Carini in a round of 16 clash on Thursday (August 1) which lasted just 46 seconds when Carini withdrew from the bout and later said she had “never been hit so hard in my life".

There has since been controversy surrounding Khelif and Taiwan's double world champion Lin Yu-Ting being able to compete in Paris after they were previously banned to fight in women's events by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

This came when Khelif and Lin failed a gender eligibility test which led Khelif to be disqualified by the IBA from her gold medal match, and Lin also lost her bronze medal at the women’s World Championships last year.

Imane Khelif of Team Algeria punches Angela Carini of Team Italy during the Women's. 66kg preliminary round match on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at North Paris Arena on August 01, 2024 in Paris, FrancePhoto by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

The IBA was stripped of its recognition by the IOC last year over governance and finance issues and so the boxing competition in Paris is being ran by the Olympics itself and allowed Khelif and Lin to take part as both met its criteria.

Now, the YouTuber-turned-wrestler has weighed in on the matter but deleted his initial post on X, formerly Twitter where he referred to Khelif - who has never identified as male or transgender - as the "the purest form of evil" and then incorrectly call her "A man" who was "allowed to beat up a woman on a global stage..."

In a since deleted post, Paul wrote: "This is the purest form of evil unfolding right before your eyes. A man was allowed to beat up a woman on a global stage, crushing her life's dream while fighting for her deceased father. This delusion must end."

Paul then followed up saying: "OOPSIES. I might be guilty of spreading misinformation along with the entirety of this app.

"Although she’s been previously disqualified for failing a 'gender test' and has XY chromosomes, some sources say Imane Khelif was born a biological woman I stand by my sentiment that biological men should not compete against biological women in any sport and if you disagree you’re a sick f***."

Since his posts, Paul has been met with backlash from people online for his actions and not apologising to Khelif.

One person wrote: "'OOPSIES' after spreading transphobia to millions is ridiculous, not to mention doubling down on it with this tweet."

Someone else added: "'oopsies' i pray you experience a fraction of what trans people go through so you can gain some basic human empathy."

"So you did no research and started to chat s*** online?" a fourth person commented.

In addition, Jake Paul also shared his thoughts on the situation where he appeared to take the same stance as his brother and offered Carini to fight on an MVP undercard.

"To Angela Carini although your dreams couldn’t come true today because of the crazy agendas that are at play in our world at the moment, I would love to offer you to fight on an MVP undercard, to show the world your talents on a fair platform and not against a man. Internet help this find her," he wrote.

Meanwhile, the Algerian Olympic Committee (AOC) has defended Khelif in a statement.

"The International Olympic Committee has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure that all athletes participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games comply with the eligibility and compliance rules.

"Our team athletes, including our champion, have always adhered to these regulations in all international competitions. We strongly support our heroine and continue to defend her rights as a fair and qualified competition."

The IOC also issued a comment where they explained that Khelif met the requirements to compete.

"All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit," it said.

"As with previous Olympic boxing competitions, the gender and age of the athletes are based on their passport."

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